Almond Butter Quinoa Blondies Make 2015 the year of mindfulness. This includes mindful indulgences too! Switch up your recipes a bit and try something new and tasty. This Almond Butter Quinoa Blondie is made with quinoa flour, which you can find in the baking section or near the gluten-free flours in most natural grocers. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, make your own quinoa flour by using a clean coffee grinder to grind whole grains of quinoa into a powder. These blondies have less than 150 calories per serving, and higher protein content than your average dessert. Replace the dark chocolate chips with dried fruit (I suggest dried apples or cranberries), and you will have a great breakfast side option. Embrace the theme of mindfulness by slowing down and enjoying every bite. Makes: 24 blondies Prep: 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Ingredients 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup smooth or crunchy natural almond butter 2 large eggs 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4...

Operational Lead Mallory Horton got some great info on SKRATCH LABS sports drink mix from the owner and creator himself, Allen Lim! Athletes, you really need to try Skratch, which has taken the market by storm because of it’s innovative approach to simplicity! How was Skratch created? Skratch originally began in 2008 when I was working with the Garmin Professional Cycling team as their Director of Sport Science. Many of the athletes were diluting their sports drink, complaining that at full strength commercially available sports drinks left a bad taste in their mouth and upset their stomach. Unfortunately, the problem with diluting most sports drinks is that this also dilutes the electrolytes, in particular sodium, that are lost in sweat. So Skratch initially began as a home made brew of cut drink mix that we added extra sodium back to. Eventually, the drink mix evolved as we realized that there were still a lot of problems with conventional sports drink – primarily all of the excess ingredients that are...

Did you make a new year’s resolution this year? We’re now 18 days into the new year – are you still on track? Statistics show that most new year’s resolutions revolve around weight loss. It’s certainly a great time set goals and get back on track over the holidays. The challenge is, people commonly set unrealistic goals and therefore easily fall off track. Check out this article with great tips for sticking to your new year’s resolution. In this article, Joy Bauer, the Today show dietitian, recommends setting small “resolutions” and slowly building upon goals (and momentum) in the upcoming weeks and months. She offers a few easy changes that you can slowly incorporate into your diet for optimal health and sustainable results. First up – eat at least one cup of produce at every meal. Having a hard time getting started this year? Need help incorporating these goals into your diet? I would love to help you out. Contact me to schedule a session and we will get started....

I have been cooking like crazy lately and thought I would share some great recipes with you. I just whipped up a batch of White Bean Basil Hummus to have as a dip with a variety of vegetables. It was delicious for today’s afternoon snack and I have plenty leftover to pack for the rest of the week. The white beans give this dip protein and fiber, which make it a great snack. This week I made a batch of Quinoa Salad with White Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Kale in a Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette. I substituted almonds for walnuts and kale for spinach to use up what I had on hand. I will be eating this for lunch all week! I also recently tried my hand at Pad Thai. I used boneless, skinless chicken breast in place of shrimp (but either would be great) and added carrots with the bean sprouts. It was quick and delicious. Tonight, I am prepping Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas to bring as the main dish for...

In Austin we are lucky to have access to several awesome farmer’s markets. They are scattered throughout town, with varying days and times. My favorites are downtown on Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon at the Triangle. Not only can you buy local produce but you can also shake the hand of the farmer that grew it. They are great resources! Use them to help you figure out the best ways to prepare your selections. Here is a website with some great tips on shopping at farmer’s markets. Bring the family. Enjoy the weather. Try new...